Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on April 8, 2005
Annals of Oncology 2005 16(6):863-868; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdi175
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2005 European Society for Medical Oncology
Review |
Carcinoma in situ testis, the progenitor of testicular germ cell tumours: a clinical review
University Departments of 1Growth and Reproduction and 2 Oncology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
* Correspondence to: Dr C. E. Hoei-Hansen, University Department of Growth and Reproduction (GR5064), Rigshospitalet Blegdamsvej 9, DK2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel: +45-35-45-50-64; Fax: +45-35-45-60-54; Email: chh{at}dadlnet.dk
Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT), including seminomas, embryonal carcinomas, teratomas and yolk sac tumours, have a common precursor, the carcinoma in situ (CIS) cell. Recent gene expression studies displaying close similarity of CIS cells to embryonic stem cells support the longstanding theory that CIS most likely originates in utero from fetal gonocytes. The clinical association between the testicular dysgenesis syndrome components (TGCT, cryptorchidism, genital malformations, some forms of decreased spermatogenesis) also implies a prenatal origin. Despite high cure rates of TGCT, efforts should be made to obtain diagnosis at the CIS stage, as intervention is possible before an invasive tumour develops, thus reducing the necessity for intensive therapy. CIS may be suspected in patients with an assumed extragonadal GCT or cryptorchidism, and in intersex patients and selected cases with infertility (presenting with atrophic testes and ultrasonic microlithiasis). Surgical testicular biopsy seems the only reliable diagnostic method. The management of choice of unilateral CIS is orchidectomy, or localised irradiation in bilateral cases. At least 5% of TGCT patients present with contralateral CIS; therefore, contralateral biopsy is recommended at the time of orchidectomy. Further research is warranted to identify causal factors explaining the increasing incidence of TGCT and to obtain a method of non-invasive CIS detection.
Key words: intratubular germ cell neoplasia, unclassified type, testicular cancer, testicular dysgenesis syndrome, testicular intraepithelial neoplasia
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
C. M. Spiller, D. Wilhelm, and P. Koopman Retinoblastoma 1 Protein Modulates XY Germ Cell Entry into G1/G0 Arrest During Fetal Development in Mice Biol Reprod, February 1, 2010; 82(2): 433 - 443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Abdulhadi-Atwan, A. Jean, W. K. Chung, K. Meir, Z. Ben Neriah, G. Stratigopoulos, S. E. Oberfield, I. Fennoy, H. J. Hirsch, A. Bhangoo, et al. Role of a Founder c.201_202delCT Mutation and New Phenotypic Features of Congenital Lipoid Adrenal Hyperplasia in Palestinians J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2007; 92(10): 4000 - 4008. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
O. Khan and A. Protheroe Testis cancer Postgrad. Med. J., October 1, 2007; 83(984): 624 - 632. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R.I. McLachlan, E. Rajpert-De Meyts, C.E. Hoei-Hansen, D.M. de Kretser, and N.E. Skakkebaek Histological evaluation of the human testis--approaches to optimizing the clinical value of the assessment: Mini Review Hum. Reprod., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 2 - 16. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C.E. Hoei-Hansen, E. Carlsen, N. Jorgensen, H. Leffers, N.E. Skakkebaek, and E. Rajpert-De Meyts Towards a non-invasive method for early detection of testicular neoplasia in semen samples by identification of fetal germ cell-specific markers Hum. Reprod., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 167 - 173. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Ferrara, N. Hallmark, H. Scott, R. Brown, C. McKinnell, I. K. Mahood, and R. M. Sharpe Acute and Long-Term Effects of in Utero Exposure of Rats to Di(n-Butyl) Phthalate on Testicular Germ Cell Development and Proliferation Endocrinology, November 1, 2006; 147(11): 5352 - 5362. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||




